Today, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp will host its annual military parade to mark the start of the Iraqi invasion

Photo: Reuters/Stringer

Today, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp will host its annual military parade to mark the start of the Iraqi invasion of Iran in 1980.

Held in cities throughout the country, the parade is meant to display the might of Iran’s armed forces; likewise, it serves as an opportunity to stoke patriotic sentiment and rally public support for the regime.

The latter goals may not be so easily achieved. Over the past year, Iran has been wracked by protests concerning religious issues, mounting unemployment, and a collapsing currency, a number of which have turned violent. Many of Tehran’s economic woes stem from renewed US sanctions following Washington’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. Most multinational companies have gauged that their business interests in the US outweigh any potential benefits they could reap from doing business in Iran.

Today’s parade is unlikely to quell public discontent with the regime’s economic policies, and protests are likely to continue for the foreseeable future and be met with violent crackdowns from the state’s security apparatus. Given the fractured nature of the protests and their lack of a clear agenda, they will not threaten the regime’s existence, at least in the short and medium-terms.

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